Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada

Species Polistes exclamans - Guinea Paper Wasp

Mature P. exclamans nest - Polistes exclamans - female P. exclamans daughter nest - Polistes exclamans Wasp 02 - Polistes exclamans Side View - Polistes exclamans - male Polistes exclamans need a wasp id view of 2 other individuals on same nest - Polistes exclamans PWBN - Polistes exclamans Polistes exclamans - female
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
No Taxon (Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps)
Superfamily Vespoidea
Family Vespidae (Hornets, Yellowjackets; Paper, Potter, Mason, and Pollen Wasps; and Allies)
Subfamily Polistinae (Paper Wasps)
Genus Polistes (Umbrella Paper Wasps)
No Taxon (Subgenus Aphanilopterus)
Species exclamans (Guinea Paper Wasp)
Other Common Names
Common Paper Wasp (may also be applied to allies such as P. fuscatus or P. dorsalis)
Guinea Wasp
"Yellowjacket" - especially in the southern US, this species is often erroneously referred to as a yellowjacket, though that name is reserved for members of the genera Vespula and Dolichovespula.
Explanation of Names
Polistes exclamans Viereck, 1906
Size
Forewing length: 13.0–16.5 mm (female), 12.0–15.0 (male)(1)
Identification
Dark antennae with orange tips, yellow mark on the occiput, extensive yellow mark on the metasoma (except for some specimens in Florida), fore coxae yellow-marked (or at least ferruginous), four yellow vertical lines on the propodeum, and yellow bands on each segment of the metasoma.

      ♂
Range
NJ to FL, west to NE, CO, and TX; also occurs in Mexico (Chihuahua to Jalisco, Hidalgo) and introduced to Hawaii(2). Recently introduced to AZ, CA, NM.(3)
Internet References